Solstice
by solsticeheart
Summary: Life and Death AU. Edythe/Beau. Roleswap. When Edythe and her adopted family of 7 headed by the renowned emergency surgeon Carlisle Cullen move to the quiet town of Forks, she doesn't know what to expect- certainly not Beau Swan, a magnetic boy whose blood-soaked story could shatter the mundane rhythm of her high school life in sleepy Washington.
1. Prologue

Thank you to everyone for reading this story; I appreciate your time. Constructive criticism or any compliments are welcome, but hate comments are immediately deleted. I try to respond to everyone. This is my first time writing for Twilight.

Please note that this story will not directly follow the canon plot, but certain events will be similar to canon out of interest in keeping a coherent timeline. I may revise the writing style as the chapters go on based on reviews; exposition isn't my strong suit, so please forgive me if this chapter drags on a bit. Many thanks to **WinterSunshine** , my story advisor. I am also looking for a beta reader- please send me a PM if you are interested.

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PROLOGUE

The ever-present drizzle of the Pacific Northwest punctuated Edythe Cullen's thoughts as her newly acquired Volvo coupe crackled into an ancient parking lot. Here she was, after nearly a week of unpacking- her new alma mater, Forks High School. A school of only 400 students, its portable buildings seemed dim and cramped, nearly unremarkable in their clusters that lay in a ray from the rear of the main school. Spray paint murals littered one side of a particularly worn building, and wary students seemed to cluster tightly into groups resembling the cliques of every cliche film. Compared to the 3000-strong private academy she'd attended in Calabasas, Forks High School seemed the location of a modern horror movie. Perhaps it was odd, then, that Edythe found the ambiance of her new school surprisingly endearing as she looked up from the edge of her steering wheel.

The school and its inhabitants had character, though perhaps not one best belied by the mawkish gaping of the few students surrounding her car. The shiny vehicle she manned was a near-clownish contrast to the average coupes and SUVs that populated the small parking spaces. Although she wasn't normally one to be self-conscious to a fault, Edythe felt a tinge of regret for not striving to blend in more for her own sake. A minutes-long struggle to pull her car into an obscenely narrow parking space deflected passersby as the bell rang for the start of class, and Edythe resisted the urge to let out a flurry of unladylike curses. She valued good first impressions, and being late on the first day certainly wouldn't endear her to dear old teacher.

Gently pushing past several giggling students once she made her way through the foyer, Edythe sighed as she waited in the front office for directions to her first class. To say that Edythe was excited about being supplanted from her normal routine would be a gross misstatement. She already missed being able to rise early in the morning and lay about while listening to music, and the kitschy to-go cup of Earl Grey in her gloved hand seemed stale in comparison to sitting with Alice over a fresh cup as the latter groaned about some off-color fashion. After a brief glare from a security officer, Edythe denuded her hazel eyes of their concealing sunglasses. Freed, they simply flickered over the molded ceiling tiles and olive drab tables, hoping to find something that looked like home in the harsh fluorescence.

Edythe felt her stomach turn at a memory of the sterile metallic aura of the Port Angeles charter school Rosalie had encouraged them both to enroll in. Her own persistence and the feedback of Carlisle and Esme (her adoptive parents, who loved her beyond words) were the sole forces keeping her from that awful place. She'd always had an eye for older things- Debussy, fossils of animals centuries passed from the earth. This campus was simply another new member of that hallowed group. Edythe smiled mentally despite herself, her previous hesitation and nervousness, which all seemed so silly after a bit of thought. This high school, with its small-town people and the 1950's industrial carpet, was a place fate had deliberately chosen. It was a place where she might be able to blend in after the newness of her shiny car and berry lipstick had worn off, and that seemed a sweet respite indeed.

Her fatalistic thoughts were interrupted by the gentle call of a matronly woman. Padding towards the counter, Edythe smoothly produced a newly minted identification card and water bill. As quick as a whip, the secretary took the card from her hand, squinted, and looked up into her eyes.

"So you're Edythe Cullen. Is your father the new surgeon at the general hospital near here?"

Edythe proffered a strained, but genuine smile, squelching the soft, hopeful voice that longed not to be fretted over.

"Yes. My adoptive family and I are very glad to be here."

The secretary gave a surprised smile back to her before tapping on the computer for a few moments. An ancient printer issued out her new class schedule and a school map with a tortured whine, and the secretary slid them across the counter.

"Would you like someone to show you to your mathematics period?"

"I think I will manage well myself, thank you. Have a good rest of your day." Edythe sent another of her best businesslike faces at the secretary to acknowledge her returned greeting before quickly turning on her heel. She hadn't the slightest idea what to expect from her first day at Forks High, and the unknown loom of her future both calmed and stirred the roiling emotions in her belly.


	2. Encounter

Thank you to everyone for reading this story; I appreciate your time. Constructive criticism or any compliments are welcome, but hate comments are immediately deleted. I try to respond to everyone. This is my first time writing for Twilight.

Please note that this story _**will not directly follow the canon plot, but certain events will be similar to canon out of interest in keeping a coherent timeline.**_ I may revise the writing style as the chapters go on based on reviews. Many thanks to **WinterSunshine,** my story advisor, and the people who followed or reviewed the first chapter. I am looking for a beta reader- please send me a PM if you are interested. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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The butterflies in Edythe's stomach refused to quiet despite her newfound will to stick to the decision she had made whilst in the office, and the click of her heeled boots against the bland drab tile as she strolled down the nondescript hallways of the school seemed to only stir them further. It had been a while since the bell rang, and she debated simply waiting until the next class period to introduce herself to any of her new potential schoolyard buddies. The classrooms she peeked into were filled with attentive students who spared her only momentary glances (as fascinated as they were), and this only solidified her resolve to merely find her calculus classroom and hunker down until class was dismissed. Being a disruption to the peace of the 105 students she would be graduating with by making a spectacle of herself certainly wouldn't improve her standing as the new girl in town. Following the blurred map the secretary had offered her, Edythe turned down a small hallway to see the calculus teacher's name in small letters beside a blue-green door, and she scooted against the row of lockers nearest the door with the Civil War novel from her backpack in hand. Hopefully Jasper's book recommendation would ease her nervousness for the few minutes before she could blend in with the hallway crowd.

It was almost comical to feel the magnitude of her own flinch as the metal bell down the hallway clamored loudly to signal the end of second period what was seemingly only moments later. Moving out of the way, Edythe pointedly looked down at her lap, shuffling the pages of her book as if to look busy. She would have been successful if she hadn't caught the eyes of a perky pair of boys, who immediately deviated from their course to hesitantly approach her. They were both average in appearance, clad in the long-sleeved t-shirts and sensible jeans Edythe imagined teenage boys from the area wore almost constantly, but the look in their eyes reminded her of Emmett (who was, by all accounts, no longer a teenager, but equally as mischievous). Unfortunately, the pair decided to shuffle their bags around to help her off the floor, and Edythe felt her hesitance to engage in this new social order rise in her throat again.

Normally, she would have simply arisen on her own without help. Edythe wasn't overly fond of letting strangers handle her with such familiarity, but the spiky blonde of the pair seemed so much like a golden retriever begging for its owner to pay attention to it that she decided to humor him. Taking the pair of empty hands he offered, Edythe let herself be pulled up to a standing position, dodging a passersby who sent her a look that was a mixture of a glare and awe.

The awkward look on the taller boy's face mercifully vanished within moments, and his friend relaxed into a supportive stance as the blonde looked for something to say.

"I'm Mike Newton, nice to meet you. My parents own Newton's Olympic Outfitters. Oh, and this over here" — he jammed a thumb towards his Asian-American friend with an impressively sized Walkman—"is Eric Yorkie."

"Edythe Cullen. Thanks for helping me up. Do either of you know how to get to the gym? I can see you've got a letter jacket there."

Eric chuckled slightly as Mike's cheeks pinked. "Oh, you noticed that? Sure, I actually have gym next too. It's just across that stretch of grass there. Should we—"

Edythe cut him off gracefully. "I think so. If I'm correct, the bell will probably ring in about two minutes."

After Eric said goodbye to the two with a strange smile on his face that made her wonder what he was thinking, Edythe let Mike lead her to the doors of the gym. It wasn't totally unlike the ones she was used to, but Mike's excitement as he chattered on about how great it was to be in gym with her made the nondescript brick building sound larger than life. Her heart swelled in her chest- an almost uncomfortable feeling, but one that cast the rest of the day in a more optimistic light.

Gym was helpfully monotone—Coach Clapp gave her a uniform and let Edythe sit on the sidelines to change into tennis shoes while he lectured about the basics of volleyball. The faces around her seemed neutral enough despite a few glances her way, and Edythe hoped that the rest of the day would continue in the same manner. Mike and two girls she met in the gym after a particularly well-hit ball, Jessica and Angela, seemed ready enough to help her integrate into the natural rhythm of student life on campus. Of these students, though, Angela was Edythe's favorite. The girl of few words only spoke up when necessary, and her speech was always seasoned with salt, a factor which Edythe appreciated in her new acquaintance. This was a rather interesting contrast to Jessica and Mike, both of whom seemed content to escort Edythe out of the gym and to the lunchroom with their sarcasm and endless curiosity about Edythe's past.

The cafeteria was just like in one of Emmett's stories, a tiled place with round tables where some 60 of Forks' high schoolers chattered about their classes for the day. Following the others' cues, Edythe moved to dump her backpack and rain jacket (which Mike had teased her about) in one plastic seat. However, she froze as she moved to turn away into the food line, fingers locked around her wallet.

If Edythe hadn't had an instinct for noticing people like her, she perhaps wouldn't have noticed him. An older boy, perhaps eighteen by the way the sharpness of his jaw offset his cheekbones, sat alone at a cafeteria table in the corner near the stage. His long fingers held a classic novel—Wuthering Heights, by the looks of the protagonists on the cover—and the tendons that overlaid them strained gently underneath his skin as he turned the page delicately. He did it so gently that Edythe wondered if even a slightly stronger motion from the developed muscles in his forearm would have ripped the page to shreds. The thought she had seen him before in a diner with her father somewhere in town floated into her mind, but she knew somewhere in her gut that even his seemingly plain profile would have been equally as striking if she had. Unfortunately, she only got to examine him for a precious few seconds before his head snapped up quickly to meet her gaze.

Almost reflexively, Edythe turned her head away, but not before noticing the tint of his eyes. They had appeared onyx in the light from the window, but they shifted to an almost brilliant viridian as soon as he looked her way. The color was like the beauty of an agate stone millions of years old, but the way he looked at her made them seem even more aged, hungrier. All too soon he seemed to collect himself and reach over to retrieve something from his backpack- food, maybe, since he had nothing but a can of Sprite on the table.

However, Edythe decided to abandon her meditations when she felt a soft tug on her sleeve. Angela pulled her toward the line towards Jessica and a slightly suspicious Mike, both of whom looked miffed by her delay. Upon a questioning look from Edythe, however, they just shook their heads and walked over to grab the unidentifiable sandwich trays that the cafeteria workers had prepared. After they had all checked out- Edythe opted for a slice of pizza and a Granny Smith apple, the most edible thing in sight—they went back to sit at the table they had selected, and Mike cleared his throat as Angela settled next to Jessica.

They all ate in silence for a few moments until Mike paused from scarfing down his sandwich to stare past Edythe to the table where the mystery boy sat. After sending an unidentifiable look behind her head, he turned his spiky head to meet Edythe's returned hazel gaze.

"Yeesh, Edythe, don't give me that look. I was just wondering why Beaufort, no, _**Beau**_ _**Swan**_ "—he punctuated the name with derisive air quotes—" was stealing glances at your back."

Edythe hummed a level tone, sensing somehow that the bizarre boy was a bone of contention among two of the three people. Jessica looked her way as Edythe formulated a thought, awaiting her reply to Mike's words, and she pondered not responding at all. However, she felt some odd urge to defend his viridian gaze, which seemed to have none of the intent Mike was implying.

"It's only fair. I stared at him earlier. Maybe like recognizes like. Who is he, anyway? The both of you seem to really dislike him."

Jessica let out a small snort. "Just the guy who rejected, like, 5 girls who wanted to take him to the Sadie Hawkins dance in a few weeks. I wouldn't waste your time trying to talk to him. Just because he's the police chief's kid doesn't mean he can be so standoffish without people noticing. He's just. . . really weird." Angela made a noncommittal noise that seemed to diffuse the tension, even as overshadowed as it was by Jessica's shifting to snag Mike's letter jacket.

At all of this, Edythe could only let out an "Oh". Her heart moved in her chest with the hope of looking into those eyes again, and she later turned around once she and Angela (as well as an apologetically tardy Eric) had finished their food.

But he was gone, and a strange, vacant hollow formed in Edythe's chest right where her heart normally lay.


	3. Aura

Thank you to everyone for reading this story; I appreciate your time. Constructive criticism or any compliments are welcome, but hate comments are immediately deleted. Sorry for the wait- I am not satisfied with it, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Please note that this story _**will not directly follow the canon plot, but certain events will be similar to canon out of interest in keeping a coherent timeline.**_ Many thanks to **WinterSunshine,** **genjigod19,** and **a-book-geek** for their encouragement, and to the people who followed. I am still looking for a beta reader- please send me a PM if you are interested.

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It was difficult for Edythe Cullen to banish the awkward lunch conversation from her head as she discarded her pizza tray and retrieved her things. Smoothing her auburn hair back from her face wasn't as cathartic as it normally was, so she decided to rummage through her bag for the folder in which she had placed her schedule. She found it among her scant notes from Coach Clapp's earlier lecture but remained standing as her brow crinkled trying to decipher what class she had for 3rd period. The schedule seemed to read Advanced British Literature II underneath some forced note the secretary had annotated over the type, and Edythe groaned internally. The private school she had gone to placed great emphasis on studying the classics, as many academies of their caliber did, but even she had to admit that reading _Beowulf_ for a second time was well beyond her limited patience for poor readings of Old English poetry by amateur theatre hopefuls. Mercifully, though, her next class was Biology, which Angela had pointed out after making sense of the secretary's scrawl and stating that the only advanced English offered at the school was AP Composition. Mike had insisted on escorting Edythe to their shared period once again, with nearly identical enthusiasm, after saying goodbye to the lunch group. However, there was something artificial about his smile that laid a veneer over the whole walk. The blonde boy seemed to be pondering something that he found unpleasant, and as Edythe quietly listened, her mind mulled over one main possibility: her confrontation with Beau Swan.

It sent up several red flags that Mike—who seemed to have a positive opinion about nearly everyone else in their small junior class—seemed to avoid even having to utter his name in public. Edythe would normally take a cue from those who had been in the area longer concerning possible persons to avoid, seeing as she was the newcomer. However, the way Beau looked at her set a fire of curiosity alight in her belly—it would not be extinguished merely because Mike was displeased with him for some unknown reason. Instinctively Edythe sensed that it would be best to take her father's advice and evaluate the strange blue-eyed boy on her own terms, all mixed feelings aside. Being an outsider to an ingroup wasn't a feeling she was unfamiliar with, and it wasn't as if Michael Newton was the arbiter of her life decisions.

It was with this reasoning that she quietly thanked her companion for escorting her before searching the various faces. Only a few were familiar, but thankfully all seemed to be free of stares or hostility. Mike made his way towards the back, but Edythe abandoned all hope of sitting next to him when she saw a disgruntled Eric already at a pair of desks with a seat reserved. She vaguely remembered Mike's Walkman-wearing accomplice trying to get her attention for something earlier- asking about the Sadie Hawkins Dance, perhaps?

However, that thought was quickly abandoned when she realized class was about to start. Edythe scurried over to the dilapidated teacher's desk and made herself known quietly. The robust man introduced himself as Mr. Banner, and glanced at his seating chart briefly after shifting her new student paperwork to a neatly organized file.

"Good to finally connect a name to a face, Ms. Cullen. Luckily I won't have to move anyone around—there's a seat right there next to Mr. Swan. Go ahead and take your seat. We've got a lot of material to cover."

Mr. Banner pointed to a table two rows from the back, and Edythe drew in an unsubstantial breath as she followed his finger. She had no idea why the thought of confronting Beau Swan at that moment intimidated her when she had so vehemently defended him in her mind against Mike's misgivings. Yet, as she saw a figure next to her new spot, one which seemed to be _looking straight at her_ in that very moment, the apprehension seemed to congeal in her belly. The fan blowing behind her certainly didn't seem to cool her nerves any, either. Beau appeared to clasp his hand loosely over his nose as she approached and set down her backpack between them to pull out some items. This struck Edythe as a little odd, but she wanted to introduce herself before Mr. Banner was done fumbling with some quizzes he needed to return.

After her notebook was opened to a fresh page, she cocked her head to look at her new seatmate. He seemed to be hunched against the window, blocking what she knew was a wavy, side-swept head of chocolate hair with the hood of his vintage Forks High sweatshirt. His arms—ones she had previously noted to be corded with lean muscles—seemed to be rigidly bracing themselves against an invisible surface, as if for some sort of impact. One hand, she noticed, seemed to worry at a smooth, shiny object underneath the table. Briefly, Edythe wondered if Beau was suffering some sort of panic attack, and quietly cleared her throat so as not to startle him. He obviously didn't want to draw attention to himself, but she didn't want him to be stuck in a spiral of self-destructive thoughts.

"Hi," she whispered as Mr. Banner finally decided to just give up on returning papers and pull up the day's instructional PowerPoint. "I'm Edythe Cullen."

"Beau Swan," a pleasant low tenor returned from behind the hood, almost harshly. "I think he's starting. You shouldn't talk during the lecture."

Edythe recoiled a little at this introduction, which was almost frosty. She didn't understand how a simple hello merited hostility, but she decided not to press the issue further and merely turned her attention to Mr. Banner. The talk was on the mechanism of photosynthesis, a topic which Edythe had already covered prior to moving, but she paid attention nonetheless. Beau Swan seemed to be doing the same from the corner of her eye, but she could see him shift his hood slightly to let a viridian eye flicker over her face once or twice when Mr. Banner flubbed the explanation of a complex photosystem diagram. A strange aura seemed to fill the scant space between Edythe's forearm and Beau's hunched figure, and it seemed that only Edythe's backpack kept the two from brushing elbows due to his stature. Class continued in this painful limbo for what seemed like a century until suddenly, the bell rang. Mr. Banner sighed and dismissed the class, reminding everyone of the textbook homework due the next day, and Edythe started packing up her things for her next class. She heard Beau get up abruptly beside her, and she twisted to say some pleasantry—but he was already gone, a "see you later" murmured almost too fast for Edythe to catch. His nearly 6-foot figure briskly exited the classroom, and Edythe realized it would be futile to go after him.

She didn't see him for the rest of the day, except briefly in the office as he finished talking with the secretary about some sort of schedule change. The immense amount of things she had yet to do at home overshadowed everything else in her mind as Edythe drove back to her new house later that day, but she still found herself wondering how things would pan out if she sat next to him again. Alice or Emmett could perhaps provide her with some advice, and she found herself longing for Carlisle's warm eyes and the brief hugs Rosalie usually gave her when she got home. She didn't need Beau Swan to have a good social life at Forks High School, but she was certain that he could change something in her for the better if she just tried to make it work between them.


End file.
